A Thousand Country Roads

We Had a Hot Time in “Hot ‘Lanta”: Part 5

December 19, 2014 in Attraction, Destination, Family, Travel, Vacation

And the saga of our vacation in Atlanta now continues. If you recall the previous posts detailing our first full day there, it was a marathon. Needless to say, our second full day being a Sunday, we slowed the pace down a bit making it a kinda-sorta day of rest, though there was still much to do and see. So after a long night of deep, recuperative sleep and a delicious brunch, we made our way back to Grant Park, home of the Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum, which is also the site of Zoo Atlanta.

The zoo is magnificent featuring The Ford African Rain Forest and an African Plains exhibit including lions, elephants, Southern Ground Hornbills, meerkats and warthogs. Of great fascination, though, is the rain forest because of its gorilla history. In 1961 a silverback gorilla was acquired for the zoo and was named Willie B., in honor of former Atlanta mayor William B. Hartsfield whom the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is also named after. Willie B. was kept isolated for 27 years having just a TV and a tire swing to occupy his time. He was alone until 1988 when he was finally moved to an open exhibit with other gorillas where he then began a social life and started siring children. He lived to the age of 41, dying in 2000, being the oldest gorilla in the US to have fathered offspring, a total of five. And five of Willie’s grandchildren to this day call Zoo Atlanta their home.

I was fortunate to have seen Willie B. before his death, and while we were there we got to see his grandchildren. Still, Lynndee and Yogi saw the Willie B. statue at the zoo which contains 80% of his cremation ashes, the other 20% having been flown back and scattered in the African rain forest of his birth.

Yogi with Willie B.
What’s so great about Zoo Atlanta is that the animals live in areas that are constructed as close as possible to their natural settings. I’ll not even try to comment on all the critters we saw. I’ll just share some of the fantastic photos of nature at its glorious best.

An interesting warning and the reason why!
Some of Willie B.’s grandchildren

There was even more than the regular zoo scene to enjoy. They have a Kid Zone as the final stop on your tour which includes kangaroos and giant tortoises as well as a petting zoo. Plus, there is a playground, a carousel, a miniature train ride and a rock climbing wall.

I couldn’t help but be reminded of days of yore when I was a kid, going to my small town’s recreation park which also had a zoo as well as a huge midway. Actually, I spent many summer weekends there all the way through my teen years because they had a huge swimming pool. The zoo wasn’t very elaborate, the main feature being a huge monkey house but the midway had a carnival atmosphere. There was a Ferris wheel, a carousel, bumper cars, a miniature roller coaster, and a miniature train and all the usual games to tempt you to try and win a Kewpie doll.

The Kid Zone at Zoo Atlanta didn’t have all that but Yogi did ride the carousel and he and I took a ride on the miniature train. Yogi’s greatest joy, though, was the rock climbing wall. And he aced that one! I was amazed at his agility. It started out a little rocky but he persevered and finally made it all the way to the top, while the whole time Mommy Lynndee was a nervous wreck watching…(“,)

And there’s Yogi, ON TOP OF THE WORLD!
Thus our family adventure in the world of wild critters ended with the exploits of our wild child. There was more yet to come on this day, but just one more stop because we certainly wasn’t going to repeat Saturday’s wild excursions. The only thing I regretted is that I hadn’t bought tickets for Sunday’s Brave’s game but that wouldn’t have fit the schedule; it was an afternoon game and I wouldn’t have missed the zoo trip even for my baseball. So off we went to see another one of Atlanta’s famous attractions and landmarks…to be revealed next time around.

Yogi and Mommy Lynndee catching their breath before our next adventure. Poor lizard couldn’t breathe, though!
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About Harry

There's really nothing special to share about me. I'm a simple man who leads a simple life, still in search of knowledge and the enlightenment it gives to my still-growing mind. And I do believe in magic, for it is out there, waiting to be discovered by those whose hearts and minds are open to the possibility, and whose eyes are willing to look past the obvious and seek the realm of the mystical. As I once read in a description of my traits based on my birthdate, I'm a dreamer of dreams, a teller of tales whose mystic mind knows that truth prevails. And as the great poet Robert Frost said:
"...I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. kat b says

    I love taking my children to the zoo! They always have such a great time. Looks like you guys had fun too! We love to see all the animals.

  5. Heather Jones says

    Looks so fun! The most recent zoo experience we had I think was the Phoenix zoo, the time before that I was 6 months pregnant walking through the San Diego Zoo. I was a bit miserable. 😉 We are planning a zoo trip for my son’s sixth birthday!

    • Harry says

      Funny you mention the pregnant thing. I read a review of Zoo Atlanta by a guy who commented that he had never seen so many pregnant women walking around than he saw at the zoo and he was wondering why. Too funny. Simple answer: for the exercise.

  7. spiffykerms says

    Oh man I’m stoked to see they have a rock wall for kids (and hopefully adults? to climb there). As an avid rock climber, I get so excited seeing these types of things at amusement parks etc. haha

  8. madhippieslife.com says

    It breaks my heart to hear that Willie B. was in isolation for so long, but happy to hear that he was able to get companionship and a life outside of that enclosure. Looks like lots of fun things to do and see at the Atlanta Zoo!

    • Harry says

      In my research, I was never able to discover the reason for Willie being apart for such a long period; would be interesting to know the reason.

  11. Liz Mays says

    I try to get to Atlanta every year, but the zoo is a place I haven’t been yet. I’ve done Coca-Cola and the aquarium. I guess the zoo will be next!

  16. Brandy Tanner says

    This looks like such a fun time! I have only been to one zoo in my life that was recently Yorks Wild Kingdom in Maine with the family. I love that you are sharing your time here.

  17. Paula Schuck says

    I have only been to Atlanta a couple times and it is usually passing through the city on the way to some place else. I would love to visit their zoo. It has a good reputation.

    • Harry says

      Yes, it’s great that they pay attention to detail and make the animals feel at home, unlike many of the zoos I saw back in the old days.

    • Harry says

      It’s so funny: that phrase just popped into my mind while writing. It truly is quaint and something you’d most likely never hear in conversation these days. But I love words and language.

  28. Risa B says

    It looks like your family had a great time at the zoo! We have a wonderful zoo here in Omaha and I love to go there whenever I can.